REVIEW: Soundtrack, Forrest Gump (Epic)
- Bob Gajarsky
Once in a while, a movie comes along and tugs at the hearts of many generations. A good producer will sense this, in advance and try to produce music which goes with the feel of the film. It happened with Dirty Dancing - cheezy pop, sure, but it worked. It happened with The Big Chill - bringing a grapevine to a whole new generation, and, in effect, creating the California Raisins. Well, maybe it wasn't so good after all. The latest soundtrack to capitalize on this is Forrest Gump.
Forrest, a person who we'd deem today as "slow", crosses time and runs across all sorts of famous people - Kennedy, Nixon and others. And, through his struggles, a soundtrack has emerged which captures the essence of American (not British - pure U.S. of A) rock from 1958's "Hound Dog" to 1978's "On The Road Again". Some would call it a ripoff to recycle the music of a past generation - "leave it to the K-Tel commercials". I'm not of that view. After all, Scott McKenzie's "San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair)" is anthematic of the 1960's - peaceful, almost serene, and longing.
Longing for the peace that Joan Baez, or Bob Dylan could bring. And for every "Land of 1000 Dances" or "I Can't Help Myself" is a Beach Boys "Sloop John B" or Jefferson Airplane "Volunteers", which didn't make it through the years as a classic, but can be thought of today as a reason WHY those bands were so revered.
There's plenty of top 10 hits as well - a veritable who's who of the 1960's - with Simon and Garfunkle, CCR, the Doors and Aretha Franklin all represented with classic hits. The outlying years of the movie are the late 1950's and late 1970's, but there's no denying that the soundtrack is centered around those "classic rock" tracks that often get played on the 4th of July weekend.
In conclusion, there's no surprises in the Gump soundtracks. People who ONLY listen to alternative music and nothing else shouldn't even consider purchasing this. But it stands to be THE major soundtrack of the summer - I was talking to a retailer who said that he had to reorder his entire supply after one day. That's just not common and this soundtrack, with its classic rock base, could well become The Big Chill equivalent for the 1990s. Overwhelmingly recommended to fans of the late 1960's music. (Disc 1) Elvis Presley - Hound Dog; Duane Eddy - Rebel Rouser; Clarence "Frogman" Henry - (I Don't Know Why) But I Do; Rooftop Singers - Walk Right In; Wilson Pickett - Land of 1000 Dances; Joan Baez - Blowin' in the Wind; Credence Clearwater Revival - Fortunate Son; Four Tops - I Can't Help Myself; Aretha Franklin - Respect; Bob Dylan - Rainy Day Woman #12 and 35; Beach Boys - Sloop John B; Mamas and Papas - California Dreamin'; Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth; Jackie Deshannon - What the World Needs Now is Love; Doors - Break On Through; Simon & Garfunkel - Mrs. Robinson (Disc 2) Jefferson Airplane - Volunteers; Youngbloods - Let's Get Together; Scott McKenzie - San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers in your Hair); Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn!; Fifth Dimension - Aquarius / Let the Sunshine In; Harry Nilsson - Everybody's Talkin'; Three Dog Night - Joy to the World; Supremes - Stoned Love; BJ Thomas - Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head; Randy Newman - Mr. President (Have Pity on the Working Man); Lynryd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama; Doobie Brothers - It Keeps You Running; Gladys Knight & The Pips - I've Got To Use My Imagination; Wille Nelson - On The Road Again; Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - Against The Wind; Alan Silvestri - Forrest Gump Suite
